I. ˈsalē, -li noun
( -es )
Etymology: Middle French saillie, from Old French, from feminine of sailli, past participle of saillir to jump, rush forward, from Latin salire to jump, leap; akin to Middle Irish saltraid he tramples, Greek hallesthai to leap, Lithuanian salti to flow, and perhaps to Sanskrit ucchalati he jumps up; basic meaning: to jump
1.
a. : an action of rushing or bursting forth ; specifically : a sortie of troops from a defensive position to attack the enemy
making a sally against the besieging force
sudden sallies of solo voices — Irving Kolodin
b. dialect chiefly England : an action of leaping forth : bound , spring
every sally of the boat — Richard Steele
2.
a. : a brief outbreak into activity or expression (as of affection or temper) : outburst
fretted with sallies of his mother's kisses — William Wordsworth
those sallies of passion so common in princes — W.H.Prescott
b. : a boldly witty or imaginative saying (as in conversation or in a written passage) : flight of fancy : quip
the cheap roar which would follow such a … sally — Arnold Bennett
a volume full of bright and sometimes brilliant sallies — Saturday Review
3.
a. : a venture or excursion usually off the beaten track : jaunt , trip
a sally into the country
the first spectacular sallies into unknown space — Swiss Industry & Trade
b. archaic : a bold violation of custom or propriety : escapade
a sally of youth
4. : a projection especially of a rafter notched to fit over a plate or horizontal beam so as to jut beyond it
5.
a. : handstroke 2
b. : grip II 6b
II. verb
( -ed/ing/-es )
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to leap or rush out : burst forth : issue suddenly (as troops from a fortified place to attack besiegers)
would sally out in their canoes and capture passing vessels — American Guide Series: Michigan
b. archaic : issue , spurt , jet , spring
his warm blood sallied from the wound — William Cowper
2. : to set out (as from one's home or station) — usually used with forth
tightening the belt of his overcoat, he sallied forth — John Galsworthy
transitive verb
: to cause (a ship) to roll by having the crew run or move weights from side to side
bluejackets raced from the port side to the starboard side and back, sallying ship … to free her ample bottom from the sucking mud — Time
III.
chiefly dialect
variant of sallow I
IV. noun
( -es )
Etymology: probably from the name Sally
1. Irish : the European house wren
2. Britain : stone fly
V.
variant of sallee